Shattered soul
by ASilverCrackInHeaven
Summary: Pit is doing his best, really. But no matter how hard he tries; he always falls just a little short. Burdened with a secret no one should have to bear alone, Pit struggles to overcome the challenges of his so called "flawed existence" to become the character we know and love.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **This fic is currently rated T, but it will be changed to M later on because of pottentially triggering situations and possible sexual content.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Kid Icarus characters (unfortunately). Warning: this story has same-sex relationships. Since I've warned you of those, I feel obliged to say "BEWARE OF THE STRAIGHT ONES TOO". Contains Pitcest.

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The sun was just beginning to rise when Pit arrived at Campus. He checked his schedule. First period: developmental genetics. Pit entered the lecture hall and sat down at the third row from the front of the podium. It was his favourite spot. Not too close to the front, of the class, but not too far away either.

It two hours to get to Uni, since he lived in a small cottage in the middle of the forest that separated the town of Skyworld from the westward village of Aurora. In order to get to class in time, he had to leave his cottage, and walk through two and a half miles of forest to get to the bus stop connecting Aurora and Skyworld. Thankfully the bus ride was only 40 minutes long, and it stopped right outside the department of general biology.

Pit pulled out a granola bar and started eating as other students started filing into the room. They sat together in small groups, pulling out laptops and notebooks, getting ready for the lecture. A group of students sat behind Pit as he pulled his own laptop out. Professor Palutena walked into the hall, wearing a white lab coat, her long green hair pulled up in a bun. She stood on the podium and looked at the students. The room was large, and almost full of students. Palutena was one of the best lecturers there were, and she also had zero tolerance for absences. "Is everyone here? Good" It was a rhetorical question. No one ever missed her lessons. She waved her hand, the blinds came down on the windows, the lights on the ceiling turned off, and the doors to the lecture hall slammed shut.

Pit tried to turn on his computer, but to his dismay he realized that he had forgotten to charge it. "Crap". He turned around in his seat to ask if he could borrow a pen and some paper and almost yelled when he saw himself behind him. Only it wasn't him. The boy behind him had dark hair, and reddish eyes. Apart from that though, they looked almost identical. The boy looked at Pit quizzically. "You need anything?" the look-alike asked. "Uh" said Pit "do you think you could spare me some paper and a pen? I forgot to put my computer on to charge". The boy smirked and handed him a few pages and a blue bic. "Are you done chatting up the new student Pit?" Pit heard Palutena say. The rest of the class was deadly silent. Pit's head turned around so fast he could have gotten whiplash. "I'm sorry miss, I forgot to charge my laptop and needed some paper to wright on". Palutena rolled her eyes, exasperated. Turning away from him, she switched on the projector above the whiteboard, and started her lesson.

The lecture finished one hour later, and Palutena walked purposefully out of the room. Pit looked at the notes he had taken. It looked like a child had written them, and he knew that it would take hours to decipher them.

"Well who are you?" the voice was coming from behind him, sultry and sweet. Pit didn't need to turn to see who was speaking. It was Phosphora. Intelligent, blonde, charismatic, and as venomous as a black mamba, Phosphora was the top student in class, and probably the most popular person in the year.

"The names Luck" said the dark-haired version of himself behind him" His voice was several tones lower than his. Phosphora giggled. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you Luck. I haven't seen you before, you new?". "Yes and no" came the reply, "I transferred here at the beginning of this year, but it's the first time I've actually been able to come to class". "Oh really? And what about all the experiments we have to do in labs? What about Palutena and her little practical exams?" "I did the theory exams in Palutena's office, and I have to do all the lab work and practical exams as soon as possible, so she's offered to let me recover all the stuff I've missed with her privately out of the usual schedule". "Oh wow" said Phosphora, "It's going to be tough having to cram a whole course in to half a year. If you like I can lend you a hand. Anyway, some of us are going out to have lunch, you can join us if you like. Let me know Lucky!" She handed him a piece of paper and left.

"I hate that nickname" Pit heard Luck mutter under his breath. Turning around, Pit gave Luck his pen back. "Thanks a lot for the pen" he said. Luck winked at him, red eyes glinting, and Pit's stomach did a somersault. "No problem, Pit, just remember to put your laptop on to charge". Pit blushed furiously as Luck got up and left.

"Nonono" thought Pit, "No crushing on him". As he stuffed his notes in to his bag, he took all of the intrusive emotions he was feeling and gathered them up in to a ball before throwing them in to the dark recesses of his mind. No crushes, no love, those where the rules.

Pit didn't see Luck in any of his other classes. He sat next to Magnus in Botany and borrowed one of his pens. Magnus and Pit didn't like their teacher much though. Viridi was petulant and impulsive, she though that her course was the only one worth their attention and swamped them with work. Magnus and Pit had both failed the last exam miserably. Pit had stopped taking notes a while ago and was trying to tune out Viridi's annoyingly high voice as she whined on and on about how important phyllotaxis was.

Having finished with his lectures, Pit made his way home. He heard something tapping on the window as soon as he got in the door. "Hello Argus" he said opening the window. The squirrel jumped in to the house and on to Pit's outstretched arm. "How are you doing today bug? You getting enough food out there?" said Pit as he fed Argus a few of the acorns he kept in his pantry for his little guest. The squirrel finished its meal, pressed it's nose against pits cheek and ran back out the window. Pit's stomach rumbled, so he turned on his oven and got a pizza out the freezer. It promptly slipped out of his hands and fell on the floor. "Oh well, guess I'll eat it anyway. A little boost to my immune system won't hurt". He was slinging the pizza in the oven when something crossed his mind. "Floor pizza gives you health" he thought, smiling.

He plugged his computer in and switched it on as the pizza cooked. Logging on, he pulled up his email account and froze. An email from a professor was never good news.

"Dear Mr Lightbound:

As your tutor, I have been consulting your progress with my colleagues, and I have concluded that your results are sub-optimal. Please see me in my office to discuss the future of your studies tomorrow at 6 AM. That's one hour before classes start.

Yours truly,

Lucia Palutena, Dean of Biology, Lady of Light and Font of wisdom"

"_Oh crap oh crap oh crap_" thought Pit. ¿What the heck did she mean by "discussing the future of his studies?" ¿Where they going to kick him out of his course? They couldn't, could they? He had gotten enough credits, albeit barely, to stay in his degree. Pit swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. He HAD to finish the degree. It was one of the most important things in the world to him.

He looked at the email again.

"Shit".

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**AN:** Well if you've made it this far, you have my sincerest gratitude for wasting you valuable time reading this. It's my first fic, and constructive criticism is much appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

Pit didn't sleep much that night. His body couldn't seem to decide if it was too hot or too cold, and his legs wanted to run a marathon. He got up at 3 AM. This time he made sure that his computer had charged and placed the charger in his bag as well, just for good measure. He had a piece of buttered toast for breakfast, washed his face and brushed his teeth.

Pit walked in to his room, and opened his file cabinet. Using the key that was taped to the bottom of his desk, he unlocked one of the small drawers inside the cabinet and pulled it open. Lying inside was brown, non-descript folder. Just in case he thought and put it in his bag along with his computer.

The door to Palutena's office was closed when Pit arrived. He checked the time on his watch and knocked on the door. "Enter" replied Palutena. The door opened to reveal Palutena sitting behind her desk. The office walls had been painted light blue, and fluffy clouds had been painted on the ceiling. The floor was covered in a white carpet. Palutena's desk was in the middle of the room, facing the door, and behind it sat Palutena herself in what looked more like a throne than an office chair.

"Come in," she said smiling "and take a seat, please". The door closed behind him as Pit sat in front of his teacher. She had let her hair down, and it cascaded down her back and on to the floor. "What's that look for Pit? I'm not going to eat you, relax". "Sorry miss, I just don't quite know what I'm here for" he replied.

Palutena sat back in her chair and studied his face. "You look shattered". Palutena reached behind her and took a thermos and two mugs out of her bag. She placed one of them in font of Pit and poured hot coffee in it. "Well Pit," she said pouring herself a cup of coffee as well, "how do you feel you are coping with your studies?". Pit considered what he was going to say. This wasn't the strict, intimidating woman he knew from class. Palutena looked happy in her office, sipping from her mug, and she radiated a sense of peace that made Pit want to curl up and fall asleep right in front of her. "I know I'm not doing very well" he said, "but I find almost all of the subjects I'm taking fascinating, and I'm really enjoying the degree as a whole."

Palutena opened a drawer and withdrew a stack of papers. Placing the documents on her desk, she stapled her fingers together and leaned her chin on them. "I'm glad to hear you think you aren't wasting your time", she paused, "However I'm more concerned about the other, less academic part of your studies. Michael says that you aren't doing too well in Adventing?". Pit swallowed. "No, I'm really not." Palutena lifted a perfectly shaped green eyebrow. "Apparently you haven't Advented a single time since the beginning of the year. That's unheard of." Pit's face went scarlet, and Palutena immediately regretted her choice of words. "What I mean Pit, is that I've never heard of someone who's had so much difficulty in manifesting on the mortal realm before. And I'm a goddess of knowledge, I know of lots of things." She sipped her coffee before continuing, "Some of my colleagues have been wondering if it would be best for you to reconsider what you want to do in the future. There are plenty of things you can do with a biology degree right here. In fact, I myself am perplexed at why you want to Advent so badly when you are studying the one degree that just doesn't seem to have any practical applications down below. Phosphora's patron is Viridi, so it makes sense that she should take a special interest in the science of life, but as far as I know, your patron is a god of technology."

Pit looked down at his coffee. "It's just what I've always wanted to do Miss Palutena, and as for my degree, the house I was given when I was created is right in the middle of a forest, and I've kind of fallen in love with nature." That, Pit knew, was an outrageous lie.

Palutena sighed. "I understand Pit, but it's the others of the pantheon that need convincing. If you have so much trouble using your powers, I don't know if we can keep you in the program".

Pit felt like his stomach had just turned inside out. "Please, please I need to do this. I don't have any idea what I'd do with myself if I can't continue my studies!" exclaimed Pit. Palutena widened her eyes in surprise, she hadn't expected such an intense reaction from her student. A bell rang somewhere outside her office. "Look Pit, I'll try and convince them that you've just had bad luck so far. I know you work hard, and if it's what you really want to do, I'll support you. I just don't know if my vote of confidence is going to be enough to keep you in the evangelion program. Now, if you really want to prove yourself, you should probably get to class. The bell just rang, and you don't want to be late. And stop calling me Miss Palutena, it makes me feel old. You can call me Lady instead"

Pit reached into his bag and withdrew the brown folder. He hesitated. "I really want to keep studying biology in the Adventing program, even if it takes me three times the normal amount of time. I need to be able to make a difference Lady Palutena." He handed her the folder and stood to leave. Palutena looked up at him and saw the tears in his eyes. Handing him a tissue, she said, "Pit, you haven't drunk your coffee and it's gone cold. Take my thermos and drink what's left in class or you won't make it through the day. You can give it back to me tomorrow. Take it. Please." Pit made some noises in protest, but Palutena shooed him out of her office and closed the door before he could give it back to her.

Once Palutena had sat down again, she opened the folder Pit had given her. The pages where watermarked, with CONFIDENTIAL across them diagonally. Quietly, she worked through the documents within, each one more horrifying than the last. By the end of it, she felt that if she had had a heart, it would have frozen over. She sat in silence for a long time, before reaching over and picking up the phone on her desk. She dialled a number and waited for the other side to answer the phone.

When she spoke, her voice was quivering with rage. "This is Palutena. I want to talk about Pit."

As class started, Pit looked around to see if he could spot Luck. "Hey", said Magnus as he sat down next to him, "Your thermos looks just like Palutena's". Pit turned to look at Magnus, and the dark-haired boy widened his eyes in shock. "Holly crap, did you sleep at all last night dude?" Pit gave him a small smile. "I had to go speak to Palutena, she said that I have to get better at Adventing if I want to stay in the evangelion program. And she lent me her thermos." "Holly crap! But they can't just kick you out can they? I mean it's what you've always wanted to do right?." Magnus's voice rose just a bit to loud for the quiet classroom they were in, which got them a few annoyed looks from some of their classmates. "Yeah, you're the right, but I doubt that the Pantheon is going to care what I want. I mean, Adventing's the whole point of this whole course, and I totally suck at it". Professor Serene gave them one of his signature glares, and the two boys took notes in silence for a few minutes before Magnus whispered "Maybe you could ask your patron to intercede on your behalf?". Pit's eyes widened so far it looked like they where going to pop out of their sockets and turn in to monoeyes. "No. Way. I want as little contact with him as possible. Besides, he wouldn't do anything to help me. I'd just spend all eternity cleaning grease off coggs as punishment". Magnus chuckled. "I've never heard of an Angel with such a poor relationship with its master".

The cafeteria was serving its usual dishes when they arrived. Vegetable surprise and Poached chimera tail where the days specials. Pit was just unwrapping a ham sandwich he had made at home when Gaol slung her bag in front of him and sat down next to Magnus, kissing his cheek.

"Hey Bitches" she said. "You won't believe what happened today!". She looked at Pit. "I have a new classmate, and he looks freakishly like a darker version of you!" Pit almost chocked on a piece of crust. "Don't you study sociology though, Gaol? Cuz that guy was in our developmental genetics class" said Magnus. Gaol looked surprised for a moment, before shrugging and saying "well he must be doing both degrees at once then". Magnus and Gaol chatted for a while about the latest rumours going around. Professor Pandora had apparently tried to seduce Medusa, but she was caught red handed when Thanatos barged in to tell Medusa that Cragalanche had knocked an art student through the window on the fifth floor of the humanities department.

Magnus finished his bowl of stew, and he and Gaol left. They had combat training. Pit, however, had finished for the day, which meant that he could go home and rest for the next day. Anxiety churned his stomach. He had Adventing in the morning. Not for the first time, Pit wondered what it would be like to be a demigod like Magnus or Gaol. Humans who's godly parents had chosen to strip them of their divinity, leaving only a fragment behind. All they had to do was learn how to harness their powers so that when they were sent down to the mortal realm they could grow up again and go on some epic quest to save the world. They didn't have to worry about futures full of an eternity of mediocrity, they were guaranteed paradise.

Pit stood up and went to throw his napkin in the bin when he felt someone stop behind him. Turning around he came face to face with Luck. "Hey." Said Luck. "H-Hey" choked Pit. "Did you remember to charge your laptop?" "Yeah, thanks for the save yesterday" replied Pit. Luck gave Pit a half smile, and Pit felt himself blush. "Phosphora told me that we are having a class dinner the day after tomorrow. I was wondering if you were coming?". Pit was never invited out to class dinners. Ever. And why would he? He wasn't popular, and he was incredibly mediocre at everything except Adventing. He was simply catastrophic at that. "Uh" mumbled Pit. He had no idea what to say. Luck patted him on the shoulder. "Come on, your invited, it's going to be fun" Luck said. And with that, he left to go and have lunch with Phosphora and the rest of the class.

As Pit left the cafeteria, he saw Phosphora glance over at him and say something to Luck. It was probably something about how much Pit sucked. Pit sighed. It was probably for the best for Luck to stop talking to him anyway. Perhaps that way Pit wouldn't end up embarassing himself.

And with that thoroughly optimistic thought in mind, Pit got the bus home.

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**AN:** Well there it is. Sorry if it's crap, I'm just sort of making it up as I go along, but I think I know in which direction it's heading! Hopefully I'll have the next chapter ready in 4 or 5 days, so there is that...

Love you all!


	3. Chapter 3

When Pit woke the next morning, he was feeling thoroughly nauseous. The sky was overcast with dark grey clouds, and the air was hot and muggy, even though it was still very early in the morning. He showered quickly and dressed in the special robes he had been given by Magnus and Gaol for his birthday. They had been enchanted to help the wearer "achieve a higher state of inner peace". Pit didn't really think they had been enchanted all that well. They certainly didn't help him concentrate the way his friends had hoped they would.

Sitting down for breakfast, he tried to focus on his body, searching for something, anything, that even remotely felt like that well of power his classmates spoke about. Opening his hand, he willed his glass of water to move into his hand. Nothing happened. Frustrated, Pit finished his breakfast and left for school. It's okay Pit, he thought to himself as he sat on the bus. Aurea dampens all kinds of divine powers in order to try and give us the most human life possible. Only really experienced students are able to pull of telekinesis so easily.

Obviously, they didn't use a lecture hall for Adventing. Instead, they would spend time in a building known as the Coelestis configuration. As Pit entered the large familiar chamber, he readjusted the collar of his chiton in an attempt to lessen the feeling of drowning his anxiety always gave him. Taking a few breaths, he tried to calm himself down. It wasn't a conventional building, but rather an alabaster dome the size of a small football field with marble floors and a door cut in its side. There was a raised dais in the centre, around which students were gathering.

"Good morning Pit," said Palutena pleasantly as she walked past him and on to the raised platform.

"Right then. I'm going to be overseeing todays Advent, and I would greatly appreciate it if no one got lost down below today. Is that understood Cragalanche?" The boy Palutena had referred to nodded vehemently. "Good. I want you all lying on the floor forming around a circle around me. Phosphora and Siegfried, no holding hands! I don't want you tainting the air with your lust!" Palutena glared, and a few students giggled. "As you all know, the dome is reinforced with aether, mitigating the dampening effect that this world has on your powers, allowing you to open your gates and Advent."

Pit swallowed nervously. His hands were already getting grossly sweaty, and he whipped them vigorously on his robes. "I'm allowing you to be gone for precisely fifteen minutes, after which, I'll call you back. No dilly dallying." Palutena clapped, and everyone got to work positioning themselves around the green haired goddess.

Pit lay between two first years. If he remembered correctly, they were twins. Michael and Selene. Giving them both what he hoped was a convincing smile, he lay his arms at his sides, without touching his body and closed his eyes. For the second time that day, Pit tried searching for that elusive gate that blocked him from using his angelic powers. Zilch. Nada. Pit changed tactics and tried focusing on his breathing. His breathing. His breaths were the only ones he could hear. Michael and Selene were totally silent beside him. Pit started to panic.

Everyone else had been successful already, and he was still stuck on the hard marble floor. He broke up in a cold breath, his breath speeding to a furious pant. Yet again he had failed. Yet again he was going to disappoint the pantheon. Yet again, he would have to face the humiliation of being the only angel ever to not be able to descend to the mortal realm. Just then, he felt someone. No. Something. Stroke his mind gently. Pit recoiled from it, alarmed, building up a mental barrier as fast as he could. He wasn't fast enough.

"Pit" murmured Palutena in his mind "don't be alarmed, it's me." "Yeah right," thought Pit to himself. "Just a random God of nearly infinite power ploughing straight in to his brain. No big deal." "That's not very polite of you" came Palutena's slightly insulted reply. Shit, somehow, it hadn't occurred to him that obviously, if Palutena was in his mind, she could hear his thoughts. Pit lay on there, unable to do anything, as Palutena gave Pits memories of the day a cursive glance. It was humiliating, being laid bare without any control over what she saw. Palutena stopped immediately. "Sorry" she said, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I was just trying to see if I could figure out what was stopping you from Adventing. It's easy to forget how intrusive a god reading someone's mind can be" Pit relaxed slightly, as she withdrew from his mind slightly.

"Listen Pit, this isn't technically legal, but I'm going to help you Advent. I'll open a gate for you using my one as a model, okay?" Pit was flabbergasted at the proposal. He hadn't even known it was possible. "If anything goes wrong, I'll bring you back immediately, okay?" The angel gave her a mental nod before she retreated from his mind further still. A few seconds later, a shining gold door appeared in the very centre of Pit's mind. Pit took a step towards it, and it slammed open, dousing the darkness with pure white light. "Go." He heard Palutena say.

Pit jumped. For a second, there was only blinding white light, but then he was falling, tumbling head over heels, without knowing which way was up or down. Pit felt at his back. He still had no wings. That wasn't right. When an angel left Aurea, they were supposed to manifest their celestial heritage. Panicking, Pit screamed down his mental link to Palutena. "HELP! HELP! I'M FALLING AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO STOP!" Palutena's response was cool and collected. "Pit, please don't yell at me, you'll give me a migraine. Golden light surrounded the angel, and he came to a stop, floating just beneath the clouds.

Pit took a few seconds to catch his breath, his heart beating so hard he thought it might explode. Looking down he saw that he was hanging above a small city. People scurried from one building to another, going about their lives, blissfully ignorant of anything outside of their plane of existence. A flash of blue lightning crossed the clouds above him, and for a second Pit wondered if he had gotten a glimpse of Phosphora's canary yellow hair.

"I think that was probably enough excitement for today, don't you?" said Palutena. "Y-yeah" said Pit, his voice trembling slightly. The yellow glow around him intensified, and Pit felt something in his stomach give a little jolt. The jolt, he realised, was him sitting up brusquely from the floor. Palutena was still standing on the dais with her back to him. She'd gone from his head as well. Pit heard someone groan to his right and turned to see Michael opening his eyes.

Pit wiped the sweat from his brow and stood up. The rest of his peers had all returned to their bodies and were collecting themselves on the floor. Checking that everyone was alright, Palutena stepped off the dais, and walked towards Pit. "Come to my office after lunch at around three, we need to talk." Pit went to ask if he had done something wrong, but she was already heading towards the exit, and the last thing Pit wanted to do was draw the attention of others. Maybe she's decided that I shouldn't try to advent again. After all, I didn't even get my wings… My wings. Pit felt his eyes prickle and blinked quickly. He was not going to cry in front of everyone. I don't have wings! He thought to himself. I'm wrong. My entire body is just wrong. No part of me isn't abnormal in some way.

Selene tapped Pit on his shoulder. "Did you have any luck this time Pit?" she asked kindly. She knows I can't advent too. That probably means that everyone knows I'm a failure. Suddenly, an image of Luck flashed through Pit's mind. I wonder if he's still going to want to talk to me after he finds out. "As a matter of fact, yes, I did" responded Pit. A grin spread across Selene's face. "Michael! Pit did it. He managed to Advent!" Turning to Pit again she punched his arm lightly. "We knew you could do it!" Pit blushed slightly. He wasn't used to receiving compliments.

Selene and Michael bid him farewell and left to catch their bus home. Exiting the configuration, Pit caught his own bus to campus. The Coelestis configuration was too far away for Pit to have lunch in time for his audience with the goddess if he walked there.

Pit grabbed a sandwich at the cafeteria. He didn't have a problem finding a place to sit, the place was almost empty. Adventing was psychologically taxing, so they got no classes for the rest of the day and a day off to rest. Not that Pit was feeling tired of course. That was probably one of the advantages of having a deity help you cheat.

Crap, I have to decide whether or not I'm going out for dinner tomorrow! Just one more thing for Pit to add to the long list of things he had to worry about in his life. Finishing his sandwich, he threw its paper rapper in the recycling and made his way to Palutena's office.

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**AN:** Hey there! Thanks for making it this far, really. It means a lot to me ;).

I'm hoping to have the next chapter up within a week, but I'm a total disaster, so who knows! (Not me). Hopefully, Palutena will have some usefull tips for Pit, and maybe explain what the heck is actually going on. I mean, Adventing? That just sounds like a calendar with chocolates in it. Huh, now that I think about it, Pit would like that.


	4. Chapter 4

Palutena's office looked the same as it had the day before, except for a new thermos flask, which had been placed precariously on the edge of the desk. Palutena took a sip of coffee as he sat down in front of her. "Keep the thermos I gave you, I have a new one." _Just as well, I had forgotten it anyway,_ he thought to himself

"First of all, Pit, I have something of yours." She unlocked her filing cabinet and withdrew Pit's folder. She hesitated, before handing it to him. "I've read through it. Listen to me Pit. If I can help you with anything, tell me. Okay?" Pit nodded. Tried to control himself, but his leg had started twitching. He had hoped that he wouldn't have to talk about it with anyone. Ever. But now he had gone and just offered himself up on a platter to someone who was for all intents and purposes basically a stranger.

"It certainly explains why you want to study this degree so much. I expect your grades to improve though."

Pit looked up at her, the sudden change of subject catching him unawares."I just find it so hard. I just can't seem to keep up with everyone else Miss Palutena!"

"Lady", she corrected. "Don't worry about that. I'm going to tutor you privately from now on. We can either do it here or at your house if that's more convenient for you."

She took another sip, and Pit used her pause to try and refuse her offer. "Thank you so much for your offer Lady Palutena, but I don't want you to go to all that trouble for me."

The goddess raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow at him. "Pit, I'm a deity. If I can't take the time to help a student, then I don't deserve my divinity"

Pit couldn't think of anything he could say that would dissuade her, and she continued speaking.

"I've already contacted your patron, and he's okay with it." _Okay isn't the word I would use, but it's just a little white lie_ thought Palutena.

Pit's eyes widened. _He actually agreed to let Palutena help me!_ His patron had zero interest in him, he knew that much. In fact, he only time he'd ever seen his deity was the day he was given his house in Aurea. After that, what little contact he'd had with him was limited to letters conveying the god's disappointment in him.

"However, that's only part of the reason why I wanted to talk to you Pit." Palutena paused, looking for the right words to use. Pit's stomach tightened in anticipation of what she was about to say. It couldn't be good.

"It's about your gate." Dread crawled its way up Pit's throat, forming a hard lump that threatened to choke him. "Let me explain. As you know, when an angel advents, they send down a part of themselves. Let's call it a piece of their soul. As you know, all angels have what we call a "gate", which is kind of like a connection with the fabric of reality between different gods domains. That connection both makes you divine, _and_ sets you apart from us gods. Our gates connect us with the human realms" Pit nodded, confirming that he already knew what she was saying.

"Yours was both hard to find, and completely different from anything I've ever seen Pit. No two gates are the same, but most of them are similar. Just the same way that no two human beings are identical, yet they are all of the same species."

Pit broke out in a cold sweat. His hart started beating frenetically. Obviously, he was so abnormal he couldn't even be considered an angel. He should have realised that when he had Advented without wings. His stomach convulsed dangerously. He was going to vomit.

And suddenly, he was being wrapped in someone's arms and everything had stopped. The world around him dulled, and he couldn't hear the clock ticking, or his heart drumming in his ears. The constant pain was gone, along with his self-loathing and fear.

"It's okay." Said Palutena softly. "It's okay Pit. It's all going to be okay." Pit didn't know how long the hug lasted, how long he was submerged in that glorious warmth. It felt, Pit thought, like he was just waking up from a long dreamless sleep, still wrapped in the warmth of his blankets.

When Palutena retreated, Pit's cheeks were wet. "I'm sorry" said Pit as he wiped the tears away with his sleeve. Palutena handed him a tissue and sat back down behind her desk.

"Well that was sudden Pit."

Pit blew his nose, hard, and put the tissue in his pocket. Almost to afraid of what the answer was going to be, he looked up at the woman before him. "Does my gate mean that I'm not an angel or something?"

Palutena looked taken aback for a second, before responding "No Pit, of course not." She reached across the table and put her hand on his arm. "You are most _definitely_ an angel. You're just different, and there isn't anything wrong with that."

Pit's lip quivered again. _At this point in my life, news like this shouldn't surprise me_, thought Pit, _I'm always different_.

Palutena went to take a sip of her coffee, but it had gone cold. She blew on it lightly, and it immediately began to steam again.

"However, the most intriguing aspect of it is that your gate seems to be stuck closed. Or maybe it's been locked somehow? I have no idea. So, I've decided that you can leave Aurea on Sundays and come with me to Skyworld. The _real_ Skyworld. Maybe once you're there you'll be able to open your gate. We can practice everything you haven't been able to do so far, and you'll catch up with your peers in no time!"

Pit was flabbergasted. He had never heard of an angel in training getting permission to leave Aurea before.

Palutena took note of Pit's silence. "You don't have to if you don't want to Pit, but I think I can help you."

Pit snapped himself out of his reverie immediately. "I'll do it!" he said determinedly. "And I promise I'll work as hard as I can until I've caught up with everyone else!"

Palutena smiled, pleased. "Good. We can start next week."

Pit was about to leave when a thought occurred to him. Turning back to Palutena, he said "Lady Palutena, can I ask you a question about another student?"

She looked at him quizzically. "You can ask me any question you like and I can decide whether or not it's appropriate for me to answer it."

"Why does Luck look just like me?"

Palutena sighed and rested her chin on her fist. "When you are placed in this world, Aurora gives you a body it thinks your soul will find compatible. When you "graduate" from here and leave to serve your god, it's common for angels to maintain this appearance. However, Aurea does make mistakes sometimes. And, to her credit, she deals with constant new arrivals. Perhaps she wasn't feeling particularly inspired and she just switched up the colours a bit. It wouldn't bee the first time we have "twin" angels.

Pit thanked her for the explanation and took his leave.

He had a lot to think about.

Pit had pizza for dinner again. He liked Pizza. Especially the kind that you just had to sling in the oven and wait for, since Pit had zero culinary skills and could hardly boil and egg without burning the house down. It had happened before when he accidentally left a chopping board on the hob.

As he determinedly made his way through a peperoni pizza that was intended to serve two people, his synapses were firing alarmingly fast.

_Palutena is coming over on the weekends to teach me._

_I'm leaving Aurea before I've lived out my first life._

_Luck might look just like me because he's been given the same body as I was. _Pit swallowed his mouthful, looked up at the ceiling, pensive. _Does that mean I'm not alone? Is he like me?_

_Why is my gate so different?_

_Palutena. Must clean the house up before she visits me._

_Luck._

His thoughts kept repeating themselves, spinning through his head like some sort of diabolic merry go round until late at night, when Morpheus finally claimed him, and Pit fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

**AN:** Well I've just gotten home from my summer vacation, and I've been travelling for about a week, so access to WiFI and my computer has been limited and this chapter took longer then I expected. (Sorry, these are just excuses. I'm a disaster).

Anyway, what do you all think so far?


	5. Chapter 5

Palutena was livid. She left the town of Skyworld just before the Sun set. Shooting through the sky, indistinguishable from the last rays of sun, she directed herself up, and away from the earth below her. Accelerating, she zipped passed the ball of light that was being used as a makeshift moon and burst through the barrier between the goddess Aurora's domain and the metaphysical void that separated her territory from the rest of the pantheon's. Streaking through the luminous substance that permeated the space around her, she rapidly approached her own dwelling. Skyworld looked exactly the same as she had left it. Of course, that was no surprise. After all, she took good care of it. Landing at the entrance to her temple, she created a new physical body for herself. Flesh didn't tend to do well when it travelled at the speed of light.

Stretching, she released the damper she had placed on her power in Aurea. Palutena shivered as energy flowed through her newly formed veins, her halo flaring brightly above her head.

A centurion rushed up to her, carrying her staff.

"Thank you" the god said, smiling at the soldier. She could have summoned it, but she knew the centurions wanted to help, and she was happy to let them feel useful.

It's not like they are all that proficient when it comes to combat she thought to herself. She really did need to do something about that.

The temple doors opened for her, and she walked in. The song that permeated her temple was joyous and bright, reflecting the mood of Skyworlds inhabitants.

There was a figure by her scrying pool. Her back was turned to Palutena, but their clothes were identical and the hair cascading down her back had the same emerald sheen as hers did. Palutena smiled. She always found herself here, it was her favourite place in the world. Of course, the pool was one of a kind. Her all seeing eye of Palutena.

"I'm back" she said to herself.

"I can see that" came the reply.

The figure turned to look at her, and Palutena locked eyes with herself from across the room. Both of them shivered. She'd never really gotten used to it, splitting herself in to more than one person.

Palutena held out a hand, and the other version of herself reached out and touched her index finger.

And then she was the only person in the room. She was whole again. The power that she had felt when she arrived at Skyworld was nothing compared to what she held now. Of course, the splinters of herself she sent to teach in Aurea didn't need to perform miracles, so she gave them just enough power to travel back and forth between divine realms.

She stood there for a while, sifting through the memories she had just acquired.

_I need to get a room ready for Pit so that he can stay over on weekends._

Something was bothering her. A different memory. It was important. _The brown folder._

And then it all came back to her, and the sky outside darkened as she remembered just how furious she was.

Turning her back to the scrying pool, she marched out of her temple.

A strongarm centurion flew towards her, it's face contorted in an expression Palutena knew was worry. She was seldom this angry, and it affected the entirety of her heaven.

"Gather your squadron, I need you to deliver a message for me to the entire Pantheon." She took a calming breath. "I want an audience with Lord Dintos. I have a complaint to make, and I want the rest of the gods there too."

The centurion saluted and immediately set to work as Palutena left Skyworld.

In Palutena's most humble opinion, the celestial supreme court needed to be remodelled. She wouldn't have minded at all if it had been made to look like one of the cute human courts she'd seen. However, the gods had a knack for making things far more grandiose than they needed to be. Palutena's projection looked around.

Dintos had presided over the Pantheon for millenia, which meant that all formal reunions the gods had took place in his domain, where he could peacefully quell any disputes that arose. This time, he had designed the courtroom to look like space, which meant there were hundreds of stars floating around. _Not just stars!_ realised Palutena, as she batted a small galaxy away. _This is a perfect recreation of our universe!_

She looked for her favourite galaxy, the one where she had most influence. It didn't take long to find it. She drew it close and observed it cautiously.

_It's exactly the same as the real thing, I can even see people on one of its planets!_

"Well well, if it isn't the pantheons biggest drama queen!" Palutena sighed and turned to Viridi. "Hello Viridi, thank you for coming on such short notice."

The blonde haired goddess humphd nonchalantly and flicked her fringe out of her eyes. "It's hardly like I had much of a choice, is it. You sent an urgent summons, so we have an obligation to be here. So what is it this time? Has Nuit been trying to plunge the world in to eternal night again? If the human's crops have been dying, it wasn't me."

Palutena shook he head and laughed softly. "Of course it's nothing to do with you Viridi. I know you wouldn't dream of doing anything to harm humanity."

Viridi elbowed Palutena's arm. "Well duh, I helped create them. Destroying them would be pretty self-destructive, don't you think?".

Both deities stopped talking as the rest of the gods started arriving, popping in to existence in flashes of light and darkness. Hades arrived, crushing several solar systems as he did so, which made Viridi sneer.

"And here we have the least graceful god in existence!" she exclaimed loudly. Hades ignored her.

When the last gods had arrived, and the Pantheon was fully assembled, Dintos finally broke the silence that had fallen over the miniature cosmos.

"We gather here at this time to hear a complaint Lucia Palutena has to make, and to bear witness to my judgement. Palutena, you may begin."

Palutena swallowed, even though she was just a projection. This was her moment. She had to convince the pantheon to side with her for this.

"More than ten millenia ago, our universe was sundered from the multiverse. A barrier was erected between us, and the rest of the cosmos."

Some of gods looked distinctly uncomfortable. Palutena knew it was a risk to start her speech talking about such a sensitive part of their history, but giving what she was about to say context was of vital importance.

"We all know why this happened. Our constant abuse of our power, and callous disregard for our subjects ended up causing a rebellion." She folded her hands together before continuing. "We treated our angelic servants poorly, with little regard for their own wishes. And for centuries, they continued serving us in quiet discontent, watching as the mortals below them were treated with more dignity than they were."

Thanatos let out a high-pitched giggle. "Well maybe you treated both species differently, but I was always scrupulously careful about killing both angels and humans equally!" This comment caused Hades to chuckle softly. "Careful Thanny, you don't want to upset our champion of justice Palutena do you?"

Palutena bit back a cutting reply. Thanatos was right, none of them were innocent.

"Anyway," Hades continued flippantly, "I never had much use for angels anyway. Monsters are so much more… pliable."

"You do realize that that was part of the problem, right?" retorted Viridi.

The argument was cut short when a loud hissing drowned out the god's bickering. Medusa had always been good at making that noise, Palutena thought. It had driven her crazy when she'd been smaller. The goddess in question had stopped playing with the dark coils of hair she took so much pride in and was now fully concentrating on what was going on around her.

"What happened was a direct result of us treating comrades as if they were less than us. Angels weren't ever our servants; they were our equals. Sure, they didn't have our power, but they wielded the force that resides in the void between our domains, they were independent from us."

Palutena smiled at Medusa thankfully before continuing her speech. Of all the pantheon's deities, she knew that she could always count on her sister to back her up.

"The angels uprising had disastrous consequences. The other pantheons made the unanimous decision to sunder us from the rest of the multiverse in order to stop the rebellion from spreading to their own domains.

In order to prevent a similar cataclysm, Aurora offered to create a domain where we could help angels appreciate how much we value their assistance"

"That's a nice way of saying brainwashing" said Poseidon, who had not used and angel ever since the sundering.

Palutena frowned, slightly insulted by his comment.

"Au contraire, Aurora gives them a body and a world to live in, and we give them the chance to experience what it means to be human. To know what love, pain and joy are. So that once they've lived out their mortal lives, they have a better understanding of how to interact with mortals, which is something that we will never know how to do without causing some kind of damage."

"And," said Hades, "living as a human must be a terribly _humbling_ experience. Which, so _unfortunately_ for all of you means the angels are less likely to rise up in rebellion when you treat them the same way you treat humans."

"What's your point Palutena?" Said Persephone, slightly impaciently, bulldozing over Hade's inflamatory remark.

Palutena waved her hand, and a copy of the documents from Pit's folder appeared in front of every god.

"There is an angel called Pit, one of my students, who is going through severe emotional trauma as a result of neglect and abuse from his patron, Pyrohn, and a complete violation of his fundamental rights, by both the aforementioned god, and Lord Dyntos himself."

There were several shocked gasps around her, but Palutena wasn't finished.

"I also want to question why Lady Aurora of angels would create and allow such opportunities for disregarding and angels personal integrity."

Aurora looked at Palutena, bored. Twirling a purplish strand of silver hair, she responded "At no point did I ever say I was creating a paradise. I made a world where angels could reside, give them bodies, and monitor their environment. Humans are as diverse as they are plentiful, so I emulate that in Aurea. I just did my job, so if you want angels to have perfect lives, then you all need to get your shit together and create heaven on Earth for humans. And I really don't see that happening."

The pantheon dissolved into chaos, deities shouting over the top of each other, some of them brandishing the papers they'd been given as if they were weapons of mass destruction.

Dyntos's voice drowned out all other's as he commanded silence. The assembly immediately quietened. Turning to the green haired goddess, he regarded her contemptuously. "You accuse me Palutena, of harming an angel, when I'm the god of the forge? The very purpose of my existence is not to destroy or harm, but to create and refine."

Pyrohn raised his voice as well. "I've never said a thing to Pit that would have harmed him. I'm a god of the sun and technology, its just not what I do bruh."

Dyntos smiled at his son before turning back to Palutena. "Reading through the reports, I can see that Pyrohn has done nothing that could possibly threaten us at any foreseeable point in the future. My avatar on Aurea merely perfected Pit at Pyrohn's request."

"I can see exactly where Palutena's going with this" fumed Viridi as she shook the report she was holding at the older god, "you treated this angel like an object, completely disregarding its right to bodily autonomy. Its obvious neither of you have learned anything in the last ten millenia, you must be going senile!"

Dyntos silenced Viridi with wave of his hand, and the Mother of Nature's words were muffled by an invisible gag.

"None of us have to worry about that kind of war anymore" came Aphrodite's luxurious voice, "not since we've started imprinting ourselves on them before they come into existence. Before they would pledge their allegiance to a god of their choosing, but now that we help their creation, we don't have to worry about fealty."

"Exactly. Aurora was only doing her job when she gave Pit a body, and neither Pyrohn nor I broke celestial law when we modified him. If anything, he should be thankful. Court dismissed."

Palutena didn't get the chance to say another word before the stars and galaxies around them imploded and she was returned to Skyworld.

_Unbelievable. Not a single one of them cares._

Palutena paced in her private chambers. It was a habit that she had developed only two centuries ago. It helped her think.

_Dynto's is a terrible god of Justice. He's been presiding over the court for too long._

Of all the gods, Dyntos had been the only one who had been worshiped as a god of justice, but that had been millenia ago, and his domain had since been relegated to god of the forge. Things were beginning to need to change, and Palutena was determined to hasten the process as much as possible.

She made her way to her chambers, her footfalls echoing off the white marble walls of her temple in a way only a god's did, resonating with power.

Palutena stopped outside her room, and lifter her arm in front of her, flexing her fingers as if they were claws. Reaching in to the very fabric of reality of Skyworld, her halo flaring to life behind her, she reorganized the rooms inside her temple (much to the chagrin of the rest of the temple's inhabitants, who suddenly found themselves in an entirely new building). When she had finished, there was a second door next to her own one.

_If all I'm able to do at the moment is make Pit comfortable, then I'll stop at nothing to make him feel at home. Perhaps sleepin in a room that's next to a god will make him feel more appreciated._

Her job done, she let herself in to her own room, disrobing before getting in to her bed.

_And_, she thought to herself as she covered herself with silken sheets, _he's close by if anything happens._

Palutena had no idea how much damage had been done to Pit over the years. But, she was revered by almost all humanity as a god of light, which had always been associated with life and healing. And heal she would. Even if it took Pit's entire lifetime.

Palutena drifted off to sleep as the sun set over the mortal realms. Even gods need a nap every century or so.

* * *

**AN: **This took longer than expected, because my laptop broke down. But it's up and running now (obviously) so that's good.

So, what's been happening with Pit and Pittoo while Palutena was off arguing?

PS: I'm still figuring out how to format these chapters so that they are easy to read, but I'm a bit of a luddite, so you just have to be patient with me. 3


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:** I am one hundred percent not sure about this chapter. It was written in bits over the course of various months and I'm not sure what to make of it. However, it's the stepping stone I need in order to start telling Pit's story in earnest.

* * *

Pit stood in front of his bathroom mirror. It was the only full-body mirror in his house, and his small bathroom made it quite uncomfortable to pose in front of said mirror, but he was trying. He had no idea of what to wear, but he was pretty sure that his two-piece suite wasn't necessary. After all, he wasn't going to a wedding. Just my funeral he thought glumly.

"Something casual" Gaol had told him via text message that afternoon. "Just brush your hair properly and wash your face and you'll be fine".

Said the woman who prepares outfits for every day of the week a month in advance.

Pit turned from the mirror and stripped, leaving the bathroom and heading to his closet. He didn't have anything overly fancy. Pit's eyes fell on his chiton. Definitely not that!

Pit finally settled on a light blue shirt with smiley octopi printed on it. It's not exactly the most adult clothing I have Pit thought looking at one of the eight limbed creatures. The octopus smiled back at him.

Sighing, Pit pulled on a pair of jeans and buttoned up his shirt. He glanced at his clock. He had half an hour before he had to leave.

That's just how it is when you are blessed with the privilege of living in the middle of nowhere thought the angel.

A sharp tapping on the kitchen window alerted Pit of Argus's presence. Pit hurriedly fetched some acorns and handed them out the window to the small mammal.

"What do you think Argus? Is what I'm wearing alright?"

The rodent flicked its tail at Pit, as it snatched up one of the acorns, completely uninterested in the boy who was feeding him. Argus was as big as he was ambitious. When the squirrel had started visiting him, Pit had been used to leaving the kitchen windows open, letting his cottage air out. However, he'd soon learned that it was best to keep them closed and open the ones in his bedroom, since Argus had the habit of getting into his larder. In fact, the rodent had once managed to pull an entire roast chicken out the window, only to find it was too heavy to pull up the tree he lived in.

Shaking his head at Argus, Pit closed the window and brewed himself a cup of coffee. He was just swallowing the last mouthful when his mobile pinged. Gaol.

"Send a pic"

Pit sighed before walking to his bathroom and snapping a photo of himself in front of the mirror and sending it to his friend.

"Looking sexy!" came the reply.

Anything but, he thought.

He tried brushing his hair like Gaol had told him to but gave up. It was impossible. His hair always seemed to revert to its natural state -sticking out in every direction possible forming bunches resembling bananas- as soon as he turned away from the mirror.

Locking his front door behind him, Pit abandoned his house and made his way through the woods towards the bus stop.

I really should get my driving license he thought to himself. Though Pit loved the tranquillity of his home, surrounded by trees and wildlife, he didn't really appreciate having a two-hour trip to town, most of which consisted in waiting for busses.

Pit arrived at the bus stop a minute before the bus did. He said hello to the bus driver and sat down close to the exit. As usual, the bus was empty except for him. Usually people wanted to go to Aurora, not leave it.

It's just like a god to create a city of unrivalled luxury and beauty and then name it after themselves.

The sky was dark over Skyworld when Pit stepped off the bus. Glancing up, he was worried by a particularly menacing cumulonimbus. He hadn't thought to take an umbrella.

Walking quickly, keeping under buildings eves as much as he could, he made his way to the town square where he was supposed to meet up with his peers. He was, of course, slightly late. Maybe they've waited for me, he thought. It was quite improbable though, since he was only there because Luck had told him about it. In fact, if he was being honest, he was only going because of Luck. It was stupid, he knew that much. Luck was almost a complete stranger, yet he didn't seem to think that Pit was the total failure everyone else thought he was. And Pit didn't want that to change.

He made a sharp left and the street opened into a plaza; his fellow students huddled together beneath the comically inaccurate statue of Palutena (which was probably due to Aurora being a merciless tease) that presided over the town square.

"Hello Pit", said someone behind him, the voice melodic and lilting. Adora stepped around him and tilted her head at the gaggle of students. Her hair was soaking wet, her mane of platinum hair sticking to her face. "We should probably go over and say hello, don't you think?"

Adora wasn't technically in Pit's year, she just sat in the lectures and listened. Not that any of the professors had any problem with the goddess Aurora's only angel being in their classes.

They crossed the plaza over to the rest of the group, and Pit found himself what to do. Did he separate himself from Adora? On the one hand, she was very eccentric, and even though Pit knew it wasn't particularly angelic of him to think that way, he already had to deal with his own reputation. On the other, at least he knew her, which was more than he could say about most of his classmates.

"Hey, you made it"

Pit turned to see Luck standing next to him.

"I decided I'd see what all the fuss was about" he replied. He was about to ask him how he was when he was interrupted by an already inebriated Phosphora.

"Yaaay you came", she said as she draper herself over Luck. "Just wait till after dinner, no one parties as hard as we do."

Her face changed immediately when she caught sight of Pit. "What are you doing here?" she said before walking off, not giving Pit a chance to reply. Not that he would have wasted his breath doing so.

Luck looked at Pit, nonplussed. "What the fuck did you do to her?" he asked. Pit shrugged. "Nothing at all, we're just polar opposites I guess." Luck gave him a half smile. "I guess that makes you likeable."

The group started to move, and Luck kept next to Pit as they made themselves towards the restaurant. "I guess that if Phosphora's reaction is anything to go by, you don't come to these things very often."

"This is the first time I've gone out for dinner like this in three years" replied Pit. Gosh, it sounded even more pitiful when he said it out loud like that, but Luck didn't seem to mind. He just nodded understandingly and kept walking.

They rounded a corner, and he saw the restaurant they were going to.

He wasn't impressed. Students, it seemed, always chose the cheapest of the cheap, divine heritage be damned.

The restaurant's name was written in Neon lights over the door. They were supposed to say "Old Taj", but the T had stopped working.

Potent spices suffused the air as Pit crossed the restaurants threshold. The restaurant had a vague Mughal-style architecture to it, velvet curtains had been draped over the arched windows. Colourful paintings of exotic animals and spectacular vistas hung from the walls, and Hindustani music played softly in the background. Behind the exotic façade however, it was easy to see that the ornaments were plastic, as well as the insects that had gotten trapped in the lights.

Luck sat down and pointed at the seat next to him. Taking his seat, Pit was painfully aware of the glare he was receiving from Phosphora, who had obviously been wanting Lucks attention. Kind of weird of her. She hates my guts and we basically look identical.

Someone started talking to his look-alike, which meant that Pit didn't have to worry about socializing. He didn't know what anything on the menu was, so when the waiter came, he just pointed randomly. Maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to eat his meal quickly and get the bus home before he embarrassed himself.

Fate, is seemed, had other plans.

One bite in to the second course Pit's throat started burning. He immediately emptied a glass of water down his throat, only to find it was getting hard to swallow. Tears running down his face, he let out a groan of discomfort as he tried to stand up, his lungs burning, only to fall backwards on to the floor. The last thing his brain was able to register was Luck crying out for help.

Pit woke up in an ambulance, shirtless. He tried to sit up, but his head hurt enough for him to give up immediately.

"He's awake!" he heard Luck say. Wait, why would Luck be with me in an ambulance?

Panic hit Pit like a bolt of lightning, his hands flying down to his legs, making sure he still had trousers on, feeling the soft fabric of his jeans. Thank Palutena, he thought to himself.

A paramedic stood over Pit, holding a tablet in her hands. "The next time you eat out, be responsible and make sure you have your epinephrine autoinjector".

The ambulance slowed to a stop. Lecture imparted, the woman ripped off the electrode attached to Pit's chest and helped him out of the ambulance. "The ER is full; I don't think you need another injection. Go and wait outside Dynto's office." Pit nodded glumly. Going to the doctor positively terrified him, so it was a fitting ending to an already awkward day.

Luck insisted on sitting with him in the waiting room. Pit's stomach felt like he had swallowed a live dragon, and he didn't know if the sensation was being caused by his imminent interaction with a doctor, his proximity to Luck, or his allergic reaction. They sat in silence until Dyntos called Pit in. "I'll wait for you to finish". Pit shook his his head at Luck. "I'll probably be a while. You should go home." Luck shrugged and got up. "Let me give you my number. If you need a lift home call me." Thanking him, Pit walked to the door that led to Dynto's office. Taking a deep breath, Pit steeled himself for what was to come. Few things terrified him as much as doctors.

The room was small, but well appointed. Dyntos was sat behind his desk, with Pit's hefty medical history on the table in front of him. A silver haired man with eyes the colour of mercury stood behind him with a lab coat on.

"Hello" said Pit. Dyntos looked up at him. "Pit my boy! What's the matter?".

Pit took off his coat and sat in the chair opposite Dyntos. "I accidentally ate something with Cashews and went into anaphylactic shock." Dynto's nodded at the examination table. "Pants and Shirt off so that Sariel can have a look at you." Pit stood glumly and stripped down to his underwear before sitting on the examination table.

Pit stared at the ceiling as the silver haired boy took his blood pressure and examined the hives that had broken out on Pit's skin. "His blood pressure is very high." Dyntos nodded. "Pit has a classic case of White coat syndrome." Dyntos gave Pit a cursory check over, making sure that his student hadn't missed anything. Opening a drawer, he placed a box of pills on his desk. "Take one of every six hours until the rash goes away, okay?" He took a page from his notes on Pit and gave it to Sariel. "I'm going to get some of the embryology students so that they can see him. I'll be back in a minute."

Pit clenched his fists. He had known it was going to happen, but that didn't make it any easier. Being stripped of his dignity and offered up on a platter to people he didn't know who just saw him as a footnote in a book. Pit took a shaky breath, turning his head away from the medical student so that he wouldn't see his panic.

Pit jumped as Sariel touched his arm. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to." Pit turned his head to look at Sariel, not understanding what he meant. "You came here because you had an allergic reaction, not to be examined. If it makes you uncomfortable, you have a right to say no." The boy put the page he had been given back on Dynto's desk before turning back to Pit.

Pit shook his head, confused. "Dynto's says that it's important I help others learn from my body." Sariel's eyes widened. "Dynto's first concern should be his patient's wellbeing. If he has a room of students inspect you each time you get a cold, and you are uncomfortable about it, then he isn't doing his job. Do you want to be inspected Pit?". Pit shook his head. "Then get dressed and leave. It's that simple."

Sariel handed Pit his coat and waited for him to get dressed before handing him his pills. "I'm not a doctor yet, but if you need to talk to someone, ask for me at reception".

Pit's heart didn't slow down to a normal pace until he had gotten on the bus home. But for the first time ever after after seeing a doctor, he left Skyworld feeling a little less naked, and a little more human.

* * *

**AN**: Hello! It's been a long time since I've been on this site, but I'm still writing this fic. Just... slowly. Life has been busy, and I have been tired. I'm holed up at home right now thanks to my friend COVID-19, so I had no excuse not to just FINISH THIS CHAPTER even though I don't particularily like it. If you've actually read this far (really, why did you put yourself through that?) thank you so much. Please stay safe and wash your hands.


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